WEBVTT 00:00:03.003 --> 00:00:06.131 line:-2 - I'm Master Corporal Emma Galloway from London, Ontario. 00:00:06.173 --> 00:00:10.761 line:0 I'm a Medical Technician currently posted to 2 Field Ambulance in Petawawa, Ontario. 00:00:12.554 --> 00:00:15.390 line:-2 (narrator): Whether it's in the heat of battle in a war-torn nation, 00:00:15.432 --> 00:00:18.060 line:-2 or a relief effort in the aftermath of an earthquake, 00:00:18.101 --> 00:00:20.896 line:-2 in the Canadian Armed Forces, the role of Medical Technician 00:00:20.938 --> 00:00:24.149 line:-2 takes on dimensions never imagined on a city street. 00:00:24.191 --> 00:00:28.362 line:-2 - Big difference between a civilian paramedic and a military Medical Technician 00:00:28.403 --> 00:00:31.532 line:-2 is as a military Medical Technician, we do a lot of different jobs. 00:00:31.573 --> 00:00:35.744 line:-2 So one day you're working in a clinic; you can move out to work in the field; 00:00:35.786 --> 00:00:38.872 line:-2 you can also work on aircraft, fixed-wing and helicopters, 00:00:38.914 --> 00:00:40.832 line:-1 as well as, could be working on ships. 00:00:40.874 --> 00:00:44.795 line:-2 So the environment changes and the scope of your job can change as well 00:00:44.837 --> 00:00:46.213 line:-1 based on those environments. 00:00:46.255 --> 00:00:49.842 line:-2 (narrator): They are a critical part of the Canadian Armed Forces healthcare team, 00:00:49.883 --> 00:00:53.136 line:-2 working with doctors, nurses, and physician assistants 00:00:53.178 --> 00:00:56.473 line:-2 to provide acute and chronic healthcare services to Forces members. 00:00:58.058 --> 00:01:00.936 line:-2 The job of a Med Tech can be diverse and adventurous. 00:01:00.978 --> 00:01:04.940 line:-2 (Galloway): The stress and excitement is definitely something that draws me to this job. 00:01:04.982 --> 00:01:09.403 line:-2 Knowing that I can be the difference in someone's life is very rewarding. 00:01:09.444 --> 00:01:11.321 line:-2 (narrator): They do everything from patient screening 00:01:11.363 --> 00:01:13.615 line:-1 to clinical care or pre-hospital emergency care 00:01:13.657 --> 00:01:16.034 line:-1 on a general day-to-day basis. 00:01:16.076 --> 00:01:17.995 line:-1 When Medical Technicians deploy, 00:01:18.036 --> 00:01:22.082 line:-2 they provide the full spectrum of care to all military members serving on the mission. 00:01:22.124 --> 00:01:26.461 line:-2 - Our training is very trauma-focused and very battlefield trauma-focused. 00:01:26.503 --> 00:01:30.549 line:-2 We focus on gunshot wounds, blast injuries, shrapnel injuries 00:01:30.591 --> 00:01:34.761 line:-2 versus more car accidents and things that you would see on the civilian street. 00:01:34.803 --> 00:01:37.472 line:-2 (narrator): The training, experience, and level of responsibility 00:01:37.514 --> 00:01:42.144 line:-2 is equal to or greater than what one would expect in comparable civilian occupations, 00:01:42.186 --> 00:01:45.856 line:-2 but the Forces offers paid education and opportunities to travel. 00:01:45.898 --> 00:01:47.649 line:-1 - One, two, three, we're going to roll! 00:01:47.691 --> 00:01:49.568 line:-2 (Galloway): A Medical Technician has more responsibility 00:01:49.610 --> 00:01:52.654 line:-1 than our civilian paramedic counterparts. 00:01:52.696 --> 00:01:55.240 line:-1 We can be pushed out by ourselves. 00:01:55.282 --> 00:01:59.369 line:-2 So it's our responsibility to identify what's going on with the member 00:01:59.411 --> 00:02:02.539 line:-1 so that we can be on the phone with a clinician, 00:02:02.581 --> 00:02:05.542 line:-2 so whether that's a Physician Assistant or a Medical Officer, 00:02:05.584 --> 00:02:09.379 line:-2 to be able to make sure that when that patient gets to that next level, 00:02:09.421 --> 00:02:12.132 line:-2 the care that they need is already ready to go for them. 00:02:12.174 --> 00:02:13.091 line:-1 - Pelvis stable. 00:02:13.133 --> 00:02:15.844 line:-2 (narrator): Military medics earn a salary while they are in training 00:02:15.886 --> 00:02:17.971 line:-1 and then walk right into their careers. 00:02:18.013 --> 00:02:20.682 line:-1 No student loans; no job search. 00:02:20.724 --> 00:02:24.061 line:-2 There are also opportunities for Med Techs in the Primary Reserve, 00:02:24.102 --> 00:02:26.021 line:-1 serving part-time in their local community 00:02:26.063 --> 00:02:28.732 line:-2 while going to school or working at a civilian job. 00:02:28.774 --> 00:02:31.693 line:-2 - I was a paramedic before I joined, for three years. 00:02:31.735 --> 00:02:35.322 line:-2 And then I decided to join the military to give myself more opportunity 00:02:35.364 --> 00:02:37.074 line:-1 to further advance my medical skills. 00:02:41.787 --> 00:02:44.665 line:-2 For me, the most exciting part of my job is getting to do my job 00:02:44.706 --> 00:02:45.832 line:-1 on the back of a helicopter. 00:02:45.874 --> 00:02:49.753 line:-2 They know when there's a helicopter coming in to get someone, it's very, very serious. 00:02:49.795 --> 00:02:53.423 line:-2 I fly on the Griffon as well as the Chinook helicopter, 00:02:53.465 --> 00:02:57.135 line:-2 and there's nothing better than coming in on a helicopter. 00:03:02.891 --> 00:03:05.477 line:-2 (narrator): On completion of their occupational training, 00:03:05.519 --> 00:03:09.940 line:-2 new Med Techs will be posted to a healthcare unit on a Canadian Armed Forces base. 00:03:09.982 --> 00:03:13.861 line:-2 - My biggest advice to anybody coming through those first couple of years 00:03:13.902 --> 00:03:16.488 line:-2 is to just absorb all the information that you can, 00:03:16.530 --> 00:03:18.824 line:-1 learn every skill that you can, 00:03:18.866 --> 00:03:21.493 line:-2 because it'll make your life so much easier down the road. 00:03:21.535 --> 00:03:25.414 line:-2 (narrator): Medical Technicians in the Forces have opportunities to train with civilian agencies 00:03:25.455 --> 00:03:27.708 line:-1 to maintain and improve their skills. 00:03:27.749 --> 00:03:32.254 line:-2 On occasion, military medics will ride along with civilian paramedics in an ambulance. 00:03:32.963 --> 00:03:36.550 line:-2 As their careers progress, Medical Technicians may have the opportunity 00:03:36.592 --> 00:03:39.887 line:-1 to pursue a range of specialized qualifications, 00:03:39.928 --> 00:03:42.222 line:-2 including working as a secondary Search and Rescue asset 00:03:42.264 --> 00:03:45.642 line:-2 with the Combat Support Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, 00:03:45.684 --> 00:03:49.229 line:-2 or in aeromedical evacuation with the Canadian Medical Emergency Response Team, 00:03:49.271 --> 00:03:51.440 line:-1 or with the Special Operations Forces. 00:03:58.155 --> 00:04:01.825 line:-2 - I would definitely say, in my opinion, that our job is a fun job. 00:04:01.867 --> 00:04:03.785 line:-1 I get to work with a lot of different people. 00:04:03.827 --> 00:04:05.704 line:-1 I get to be doing a lot of different things. 00:04:05.746 --> 00:04:09.124 line:-2 I've been up to the Arctic, I've been over in Africa, 00:04:09.166 --> 00:04:11.293 line:-1 I've been around Europe with the military. 00:04:11.335 --> 00:04:13.295 line:-2 None of these things I would have been able to do 00:04:13.337 --> 00:04:16.048 line:-1 if I hadn't joined the Canadian Armed Forces.